Wild Horses
by detcutthroat
Summary: This is a Victorian era Carmilla AU in which British teenager Laura is sent to Silas Manor to work as a governess for two girls after her family suffers financial hardship, where she befriends the house's servants and meets Carmilla, the mysterious and kin-less stable girl who changes her life. Eventual Hollstein, LaFerry, and Zeta Society.
1. On Her Own

**Chapter One: On Her Own**

The river ran wild in the distance behind the small black carriage, picking up dust as it coasted away from the sounds of the Thames and towards an ever expanding range of green, wet grass. Wide hazel eyes peered out from the stagecoach at the beauty of a land unspoiled by the hands of man or industry. Laura Hollis was most certainly not in London anymore.

Victims of several bad financial coincidences all in a row, the Hollis family had gone from a close-knit, well-to-do British family to a household in trouble in what seemed like a few days. The plan for Laura had always been simple: grow into a beautiful, talented young woman ripe for marriage and ride off with the most appropriate suitor when the time was right. But faced with destitution, the grandest of plans were forced to change. One afternoon, as Laura slid her fingers across the keys of the grand piano in the sitting room, she felt a chill as her father entered behind her and beckoned her attention. He told her grimly that, though he loved her, he was presented with an opportunity for her that he simply could not refuse, and she was to prepare to depart anon. Two days later, a valise and a satchel had been packed for Laura and she boarded a carriage bound for the Kent countryside.

She was to be a governess, her father told her, as she sat on the piano bench facing the wall, posture as straight as ever, but mind slumped over at the news. An old Oxford colleague had been recently made a widower and was simply unprepared to provide for the education of his two daughters. The man had evidently not taken the events well and the need for a figure for his children was imminent. Laura couldn't believe her father had been humble enough to admit their financial struggle—she was raised to be a lady herself, and to be offered up as a governess was to announce without question that the Hollis family had fallen. She didn't mind the prospect of teaching or the idea of a new adventure, she rather craved it in fact, but she was not ready to leave the comfort of her father's home. Certainly not in two days' time. Though she had recently reached nineteen years of age, by all accounts, she was nearly a girl herself.

Her fears were not taken for importance and today she found herself riding in this carriage behind a tall, well-built young man who held the reins to two horses that drove the vehicle through the meadows.

This morning, after a silent breakfast and an hour to bathe and dress, the two had their first encounter outside the Hollis home in London. Laura meekly followed her father out the doors to find the unfamiliar figure standing in front of his horses and carriage. She leaned against the wall of the entry and watched as the two shook hands and exchanged a few words. After a minute, her father waved his hand at her and motioned for her to approach.

"Miss Hollis," he said, and gave a small bow. "A pleasure to meet you."

"And I you," she responded with a curtsey. "What do I call you?"

"Kirsch will be fine," he replied, nodding. "Are you prepared to depart?"

"Yes." Laura watched as her father loaded her small amass of luggage into the carriage. "Quite ready. How long is our journey?"

"Not long. Just under four hours. We'll be there in time to settle you in and have tea before you meet Master Silas."

"Very well."

Laura looked down towards the carriage floor again and smoothed her dress for the hundredth time. A dress once belonging to her mother, she never quite felt like she fit into it. It was the most impressive article of clothing she carried with her to her new lodging, but it brought her no sense of comfort. There is no safety in the arms of the long lost, indeed in the ones never really known, she thought.

Without turning his head, Kirsch announced, "Five minutes to the manor, Miss Hollis."

"Excellent," Laura murmured, though she felt nothing of the sort.

As the carriage meandered through the last mile of the journey, the mansion appeared in Laura's vision. A revivalist dream, the structure was tall and stately and entranced her deeply. Akin to the summer homes she dreamt of residing in when she was to be married, it touched her fantasy and she smiled at the beauty, forgetting momentarily that she was not to be the lady of this house.

The horses slowed their trot and the stagecoach soon stopped at a cobblestone path. Inhaling deeply, Laura waited as Kirsch dismounted from the driver's seat and opened the door, offering his hand to her. She placed her small hand in his timidly, and stepped down from the car, carefully maneuvering in the strange dress. Waiting for them was a very tall girl that looked to be a couple of years older than Laura. Her bright red hair fell to her strong shoulders, and Laura noticed when she saw her that she felt a sudden safeness that she hadn't felt on the trip thus far.

"Miss Laura Hollis, may I introduce our cook and head maid, Miss Danielle Lawrence."

Laura watched the girl visibly cringe, and shoot Kirsch a look. "Danny, please."

"Is she not to know your proper name?" the man asked with a smirk.

"Danny is my proper name," she retorted, and turning back to the new arrival, asked "May I call you Laura?"

"Yes, of course. It is a pleasure to meet you, Danny," Laura smiled, looking up at the admittedly handsome young woman.

"I'm sure the same is to be said for you. Come now, quickly. There is much for us to do now that you've come. Oh, and welcome to Silas Manor."


	2. The Manor

**Chapter Two: The Manor**

Kirsch left the pair of girls to walk towards a small shed on the perimeter of the lawn, while Danny led Laura through the doors of the overwhelming mansion. They entered a grand foyer, so large that Laura could picture herself being swallowed by the very room. They walked on cold tile past a large maroon carpeted staircase through a long hallway, and Laura struggled to keep up with Danny's long strides.

"Kirsch of course will take care of your belongings, and I'll show you to your bedroom later on, but first I must introduce you to the others. We haven't seen a new face in awhile and I must admit it's a bit of excitement for all of us. I do believe you will find great favor with all of us, Laura, we're a kind bunch. Usually," Danny chirped.

"That's very encouraging, thank you," Laura replied, with a bit of difficulty. "This is a vast palace, is it not? I do believe we've traveled an acre on foot already!"

"Such a city thing to say," Danny laughed. "We've barely moved at all. No matter, we're approaching."

They reached a small sitting room sparsely decorated with a beige colored couch and several wooden armchairs. The room smelled strongly of biscuits and a dull roar of sound emanated from its walls as Danny and Laura entered, the latter slowly and shyly.

"We're returned," Danny announced to the inhabitants of the room, a stern looking girl with gently falling gingered curls in a grey ruffled dress and a short-haired young person in a blue waistcoat and trousers. Both were near Laura's age, she noticed happily.

"And not been mindful of the tea, Miss Lawrence! You were meant to take it on your way back," the girl in the dress stood and scolded. "Well, it's no large matter. Hello, dear. Miss Lola Perry. If you please, Perry will suffice. I'm the nurse and housekeeper furthermore, now that the young mistresses have grown such. I watch over the female staff of the house and the girls as well…especially with the death of their mum, rest her soul."

Overwhelmed by the introduction, Laura curtseyed and nodded. "Thank you, Perry. I'm Laura." Turning to the other occupant, she continued, "and you, Miss…?"

"Now, we can do away with the Miss straight off," they spoke, smiling as they rose from their seat. "I am simply called LaFontaine. I formerly served as the lady's maid here, but upon her death I have been kindly reassigned as a butler for the house."

"LaFontaine? Are you of French descent?" Laura asked interestedly. She had always been fascinated with foreigners, but had not made the acquaintance of many people at all during her limited experiences in life, much less any not born in England.

"I've got relatives, but I haven't stepped a foot out of England myself. I should like to travel one day, but that's left to the fates to decide, I suppose. There's time for more formal introductions later on. Danny is returning with the tea and I daresay you could stand to have a bit to fill you up after your journey, is that not so?" LaFontaine asked.

"Oh, of course. Thank you," Laura replied, and took a seat on the couch next to Perry where she gestured her to rest. "I know not much of this house, nor of the children I'm meant to be teaching, I admit. This whole expedition was…rather sudden for me."

Danny handed Laura a cup and placed a baked scone on a plate for her. "It's alright, we know the story. It's become all too common in the past few years for families like yours," she stated matter-of-factly, and Laura hung her head.

"It's nothing to feel ashamed about, dear," Perry encouraged her. "It's a trick of the times. But I assure you that you've come upon a lovely place. We're all treated quite fairly by Master Silas and the grounds are lovely for living."

"I'm not frightened," Laura said emphatically. "I'm simply…unused to the circumstances."

"Of course, of course you are. But I promise, you'll be just fine here. The girls are a lovely pair. Unspoiled and respectful at the last, and I do firmly believe I played a large part in that," Perry smiled.

"You played perhaps the only part in that," LaFontaine added. "You had much more to do with their raising than their mother ever did."

"Don't speak ill of her," Perry retorted. "She was a lovely lady."

"She was, she was! But you cannot pretend she paid the girls the attention you have."

"It's true," Danny chimed in. "Perry's been their nurse since she was but twelve years of age. Ever since they could talk sense their manners have been fed straight from her mouth."

"Well, you're going to get to know them quite the best now," Perry said. "Elizabeth is fourteen and Sarah is eleven. They're both to learn the three Rs of course, reading, writing, and arithmetic, as they've been learning to the best of my abilities."

"And my abilities," Danny added.

"Yes, Danny is a bit of an amateur literature scholar," Perry smiled. "They have their equestrian lessons outside each day, which you are to supervise. And as an accomplished pianist, you are also to instruct them in piano."

"Perhaps you could teach me a bit in your leisure time," LaFontaine winked at her. Laura laughed as Perry shot them a look. "What, is a butler that plays piano so unheard of?"

Meanwhile, Danny continued, "You shall meet the young ladies along with Master Silas soon enough. For now, finish that up and I'll see you on a tour around the grounds."

* * *

Outside, the sun hung down on its axis, signaling the last hour of daylight. Laura once again worked hard to keep up with the speed of Danny's steps as they walked around the yards.

"This is the main garden. Sarah is quite fond of it and likes to assist Kirsch in its care, so watch that she gets some time to spend here every now and again. Elizabeth prefers the comforts of the library, she's not so much an outside type of girl," Danny related to Laura.

"And that hut, is that where Kirsch keeps his supplies?" Laura asked.

"That's not a hut, Laura, that's Kirsch's quarters," Danny laughed. "As the main groundskeeper, he quite likes his own space, though he's very protective of us ladies. To a fault, I sometimes think."

"Oh, I didn't realize he didn't live within the manor's walls."

"That's alright." They continued their stroll through the grass, past the vast expanses of shrubs and flowers in neatly contained rows, towards a large structure comprised of many fences and what looked like a complex of small houses. Upon further review, Laura recognized the sight as a horse stable and track.

"Is this where the girls take their lessons?" Laura asked.

"Indeed. The laundry maid will be sure to have their riding attire ready for them each afternoon. Just have them dress and take them here after tea time each day but Sunday."

"Then they're down here now?"

"They are. Shall we go say hello?" Danny gestured towards the stables.

"I suppose so," Laura responded. She smoothed her dress once more and the two descended a slight hill to where a young man stood watch.

"How do you do, Will?" Danny said.

"Quite well, Miss Lawrence," he nodded. "Who might you have brought to me?"

"This is Miss Laura Hollis. She'll be serving as the young mistresses' new governess," Danny replied.

"Pleased," he bowed his head.

"And you," she replied with a curtsey.

"Are the girls finished, Will?" Danny asked.

"They are dismounting and tying up their horses as we speak. I take it you will escort them inside?"

"Of course. Come, Laura."

The two walked into the stable to find two fair faced girls with cascading blonde waves of hair tied up in white ribbons to match their white dresses. Though one had the features of a young lady beginning to blossom and the other was still childlike in appearance, they appeared to look much the same to Laura. They noticed Danny and immediately both broke into wide smiles.

"Miss Danny," the older one, which Laura knew to be named Elizabeth, called out. "You did not come to watch us today as you had promised."

"I promised no such thing, little lady. Someone is responsible for your supper tonight and it is not the supper fairy. Come, you both. I've brought you someone to meet."

The younger one, Sarah, practically skipped to Danny's side, and Elizabeth gracefully strolled over to hold her sister's hand, and caught Laura's eye.

"Girls, this is Miss Laura Hollis. She is to be your new governess," Danny introduced her.

"Oh, finally! We've been promised a governess for _ages_ and she's just now arrived! Miss Laura, I'm Miss Sarah Silas. I'm eleven years old and incredibly smart, you'll soon see. Oh, welcome!" Sarah eagerly cried.

"Hello, Miss Laura," Elizabeth sweetly added.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, children. I do look forward to working with you," Laura said.

"No need to be so formal," Danny scoffed, but smiled at Laura and the girls. "Come now, let's get inside before the sun falls behind us, will you?"

Laura let out a breath, relieved that the girls did not prove to be averse to her presence. Perhaps they would have a bit more patience with her whilst she came to terms with what it was she was put there to do.

They began to exit the stable when out of the corner of her eye, Laura saw a thin shadowy figure lurk past the wall and next to one of the horses, where it began to brush the tan, soft mane of the resting creature. Laura turned her head to look at the figure, who to her surprise, turned out to be a girl. The girl had dark brown, almost black hair, and wore a plain dress that reached her mid calf, revealing fair, dusty skin. The girl's eyes were dark and piercing, and she wore an expression unlike any Laura had ever seen on a young woman. The girl said nothing, but stared at Laura, seemingly daring her to come discover her.

Laura quickly turned back to face Danny, and asked, "Who is that?" while pointing at the girl holding the brush.

"Stable girl," Danny replied. "She came here from Austria a few months ago, but I've not heard a word from her. It's possible she doesn't speak English," she shrugged. "Come along now, these girls will run away up ahead if we don't keep up!'

Laura followed, but her mind remained fixed on the mysterious stable girl.


End file.
